The scalloped hammerhead is a beautiful and mysterious schooling shark that
congregates by the thousands over underwater seamounts. This species is
extremely vulnerable to targeted fishing by industrial longlines fishing for the
shark fin trade. Because of this, its populations are experiencing drastic
declines.

Adding this species to the Endangered Species Act will trigger new policies
to protect these sharks and their habitat. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) as
endangered and warns of a very high risk of extinction for this species in the
wild. Like all sharks, scalloped hammerheads play an important role in the
health and balance of marine ecosystems. Threatened coral reef ecosystems
seriously suffer from the removal of this top predator.

The photo on the right was taken in Cocos Island National Park, where the Sea
Turtle Restoration Project and allies conduct research to better understand the
habitat use and conservation needs of sharks and sea turtles. Even in this
protected area, scalloped hammerhead sharks are illegally caught for their
lucrative fins.

Dear NMFS Endangered Species Division,

We urge you to list the scalloped hammerhead shark as an endangered species
under the Endangered Species Act and take swift and decisive action for the
recovery of Eastern Pacific shark populations.

This species is in drastic decline throughout its range due to targeted
overfishing for the shark fin trade and incidental bycatch in non-selective
fisheries such as tuna longlines.. These schooling sharks regularly congregate
along seamounts, making them highly vulnerable to targeted fishing
pressure. Scalloped hammerheads play an important role in the health and balance
of oceanic ecosystems including already threatened coral reefs, ecosystems that
could seriously suffer from the removal of a top predator.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the scalloped
hammerhead as endangered and considers this species at a very high risk of
extinction in the wild. No protections have yet been granted for scalloped
hammerheads by CITES due to pressure from fishing nations. All populations of
scalloped hammerhead sharks are threatened by commercial exploitation and
without additional protective regulations, and their enforcement, and threatened
with extinction.

We urge you to list the scalloped hammerhead shark as an endangered species
under the Endangered Species Act and rapidly establish critical habitat for the
increased protection of their distinct populations.

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